I Don't Murder Children
by Teaguen
Summary: Kaylee persuades Mal to temporarily take an 8 year old pickpocket aboard Serenity. Takes place between Firefly and Serenity. Enjoy! Any and all feedback welcome!
1. Chapter 1

**I Don't Kill Children**

**To Scott**

**By Claire L. Ontiveros**

"Telso smells rotten."

Jayne looked up at Kaylee's words and then sniffed loudly. "I don't smell nothin'. Maybe I'm gettin' a cold."

Kaylee shook her head. "I don't really mean it _smells_. It's just in the air. It's not a nice place." Indeed, though the town was bustling with life, an unfriendly attitude seemed to envelope the people. Though the squat buildings seemed sturdy enough, they matched the inhabitants in appearing to lack care.

"You may not be wishin' Telso was your home, but a job's a job. Kaylee, Wash, get the parts and be back here in an hour." Serenity's captain shot them a pointed look. "Stay sharp. Telso's not known for its courtesy, as Kaylee has correctly smelled."

With that, Zoë accelerated the mule and she, Mal and Jayne rolled forward, leaving Kaylee and Wash to walk into the town. Telso was set in one of the few flat areas on the planet and the dusty road that Mal, Zoë and Jayne followed led them into more mountainous terrain. The hills made Mal a little uneasy. He preferred the higher ground to be his in almost every instance and traveling through a valley of sorts seemed to make them especially vulnerable to anyone wishing to hinder them. Mal was comforted when Zoë suddenly steered off the beaten path and up a hill. She skillfully maneuvered the vehicle through the trees staying parallel to the path below.

"Thought this would be a nicer view, captain." she called out. Mal smiled in satisfaction. There was a very good reason why Zoë was his first mate. He wondered again, as he occasionally did, what he'd done to deserve her unfailing loyalty. However, as he still couldn't come up with a satisfying answer, he chose to let it be, remaining comfortable in the fact that it was. Mal chose instead to pay attention more closely to the surroundings and he felt himself tense at a flash of movement. He let out a breath when he realized it was only a fox of sorts.

"Scare ya?" Jayne called out with a grin.

"Only cause I didn't think there could be anything uglier than you runnin' around." Mal smirked. "And I make it a point to keep my eyes open while on job."

"Don't think its your proper day to die, huh?"

Mal's eye turned to slits as he looked back at Jayne. "Nope. And I got no intention of buttin' in line." The terrain became smoother, allowing Zoë to speed up, and making conversation impossible, so they became silent.

"Think this is the place, sir." Zoë said, making a sudden hard stop that jolted Mal and Jayne forward in their seats. She looked back and without apology, said, "The brake was stuck."

"Best have Kaylee look at that tonight." Mal swung out of the vehicle. "You thinking behind those rocks, Zoë?"

"Yes."

"Good." Jayne lifted one of the crates. "Won't have to break our backs diggin' then." Moving quickly, the two men hauled the crates from the back of the mule over to a stack of boulders, while Zoë carefully studied a map. Mal shaded his eyes and gazed at the hills surrounding them.. "Hope Benton's on time." he said to her. "I'd just as soon be off this gorram planet as quickly as possible."

"Won't argue with you there, sir."

Once the crates were well out of sight, they continued on about two and a half miles. They were able to see the rundown shack long before Mal signaled Zoë to brake, still several yards away from it. The three of them immediately stepped down, keeping the mule between them and the shack. Without wasting a moment, Mal pulled his pistol and carefully aimed at a glass bottle sitting on the edge of the rickety porch. At the sound of the shot, as well as the shattering glass, two old men peeked out the door. "That you Reynolds?!" one of them bellowed.

"Indeed. Would you like to join us?"

Looking as though it was more physical assertion than they'd had in a long while, the men puffed their way out to the mule.

"Well, Reynolds you're right on time."

Mal gave them a small smile. "We aim to please. When convenient." He motioned to Jayne, who pulled one lone crate from the back of the mule. "Inside that crate is a map that'll take you to the rest."

One of the men ambled over to the crate and pried the lid up. He then stood, smiled and spit, his stream of tobacco juice landing far too close to Zoë's boot. "That'll be fine then. Earl! Give em' their dues."

Mal tensed at the words and awaited the sight of a gun being drawn, but was pleased to be tossed a small sack instead. A quick inspection revealed the correct amount and he gave a quick nod to his crew. "Benton, Earl…it's been a pleasure doing business with you."

"And with you Reynolds. A man that gets the job done without asking too many questions is a rare find these days. So long." They waited for the two men to haul the crate back to their shack, amused at the sight of them both huffing and puffing just to carry the one crate. When they had unloaded the crates to hide them, neither Jayne or Mal had carried less than three at a time…alone. Mal flashed them a quirky grin and then climbed back into the mule, driver's seat this time.

He turned to Jayne and said, "Face backwards and make sure they ain't turnin' around for any final fare ye wells.".

As the scenery began to flash by going in the opposite direction this time, Zoë called out to Mal. "Are you all right, sir? You look disturbed."

"Well, I am! I'm still waitin' for an ambush. That went just a little too smoothly. Our jobs never go that smoothly."

"Well, it's nice to turn over a new leaf, sir, because there's nobody in sight."

"Maybe you should drive…I'm kind of in shock."

"Just enjoy it, sir."

Once back in the heart of Telso, Mal, Zoë and Jayne parked and then stood outside the hardware store, the designated rendezvous point. Leaning against the rickety pillars, they tried to blend in, as well as keep their footing amidst the crowd. It seemed to be market day in Telso. "Everybody and his brother are out." Jayne complained, planting his feet more firmly.

"There's Kaylee." Mal said suddenly, as his ship's mechanic came into view. Kaylee had no talent at hiding her emotions and worry was plainly written in her big brown eyes. Her long, brown hair was even more disheveled than usual.

"What's wrong, Kaylee?"

"Wash's wallet got stolen. Before we could buy the parts. He's talking to the sheriff right now."

Jayne swore. "That little man can't keep track of nothing! How's he know he didn't just lose it?"

Kaylee frowned at him. "Wash isn't careless like that. There were a bunch of other people reporting stuff stolen. And all of it carried in their pockets."

"Telso does turn out a right fine line of pickpocketers." Mal said, frowning. "Let's find him."

"Stupid, can't be left to buy parts on his own." Jayne muttered.

"Shame you can't be trusted to be left alone at all." Zoë interjected coldly. "Didn't you know? That's why you're never left on the ship."

Jayne spluttered, "Well, I-"

"That's enough." Mal snapped. "Hold your tongue or lose it, Jayne. Where's your wallet?"

"Right he-" Jayne cut off suddenly and began frantically going through his own pockets. "What the…my money's gone! Oh, some gorram little sneak is gonna pay!"

They followed Kaylee into a dark smoky building and found Wash standing wearily by a counter. "Sorry Mal. I don't know how it happened. In this crowd it's impossible to know if someone's just bumpin up against ya or robbin' ya." Irritated, he moved away from a blubbering couple next to him, as though trying to regain his personal bubble of space.

"Yeah, well, things happen. You ain't to blame. That whole line of people get robbed too?"

"Yeah. Seems they've been havin' quite a string of thievery."

At that moment a shout could be heard from the street. Several people pushed through the door and one man yelled, "We got the thief!" An excited murmur ran through the building and people strained for a look. Mal felt his jaw drop at the sight.

Kaylee gasped. "I don't believe it!"

Struggling in the arms of one of the local lawmen was a child of no more than 8. Rumpled and dirty, she was fighting to get away. One of the men behind held up a sack. "We found all these wallets and purses stuffed in the front of her shirt!" The murmurs of the people grew to an unbearable din and finally the sheriff jumped on top of a chair and shouted, "If you've been robbed get in line prepared to describe it. Everyone else, I'm going to have to ask you to get out!" In the confusion that followed the Serenity crew found themselves near the front of the line.

Thirsty, Kaylee left the line to get a drink of water. She was still in shock that the thief who had caused so much trouble was a little girl. It seemed so sad, so wrong. Something must have been terribly wrong for the child to have been stealing. Curious, Kaylee filled up a second glass of water and walked slowly over to where she could see the child tied tightly to a chair in the back. As she came closer she saw the girl was crying, the tears leaving pale streaks down her dirty face. "I've just brought her a little water," she said to one of the men standing there and without waiting for an answer pushed past him and knelt down. "Are you thirsty, honey?"

The child looked up, startled out of her tears and then nodded. Kaylee held the cup to her lips as her hands were tied tightly at her sides, bound to the chair. Kaylee felt her heart constrict at the sight. "My name's Kaylee." she said softly. "What's yours?" She knew she shouldn't even be asking, as the child was a thief and would probably be severely punished, perhaps put in jail in this backwards little town. But Kaylee's heart wouldn't let her just walk away and so she waited.

The child eyed her suspiciously for a moment and then said hesitantly, "Devyn. Devyn nothin'. I don't got a last name."

"That's all right. Are…are you hurt?"

"I don't know. I don't care. Can I have more water?" Immediately Kaylee held the cup to the child's lips again, then she stood and turned to the men standing there.

"What's going to happen to her?" Kaylee tried to speak softly, hoping the girl wouldn't overhear. Judging by the volume of their voices, the men did not share her concern.

"Well, she was caught with the goods on her, so there ain't no question of a trial. She'll be sent down to the mines I think. That's where we put most of our prisoners. Better than a jail as it surely keeps em in once place."

"But she's so little."

The man gave a harsh laugh. "Big enough to steal ain't she? Even from you…I saw your man over there."

"Mining's just so hard…I suppose she could pick up the rocks and things…"

"Why don't you just get back in line, right and proper, young lady!" Another man standing nearby spoke up suddenly. "There ain't no need for you to go meddling around in what ain't your business."

Offended, Kaylee sniffed and started to move away, then felt her heart drop into her stomach when she heard him say to the group, "Kid'll be good for more than work in those mines. Men get lonely…let em see how far they've sunk in the mud."

She ran back to the crew.

"We got it all back." Wash said, holding up his wallet for her to see.

Kaylee turned immediately to Mal. "Captain, that little girl over there, they're going to hurt her!"

"She's a thief." Male said, firmly. "They can't let thieves run their town can they?"

"No, you don't understand! They're going to send her down into their mines!"

Jayne spoke up. "Seems like a good system to me. They get good labor out of the criminals, stead a lettin' em rot in a cell."

Kaylee felt herself near tears. "No, just listen. I heard them say that she would be used for more than work. That the prisoners in the mine would…Oh, I can't even say it!"

"Dear God." Understanding, Zoë gazed over at the child.

Recognizing an ally, Kaylee clutched at Zoë's arm. "We could take her…buy them off. We can't leave her here to such a thing. It would just be wrong!"

"Now, wait just a gorram minute!" Mal snapped. "Are you suggesting we take a little pickpocket aboard Serenity?"

"It's not such a crazy idea, Mal." Wash spoke up. "Our next stop's Persephone. There's orphanages aplenty there. We could just drop her at one, without much inconvenience."

"Oh, yes. Please, captain, I just can't leave her here. It'll break my heart. We have to take her with us!"

"Well, I ain't exactly convinced of that, but what they're going to do don't sit real well with me either." Mal frowned and gazed at the ceiling.

"Ain't you all forgettin' that she's a thief and has caused lots of trouble here today?" Jayne grunted. "I think you're all a bunch of gorram loonies, but the sheriff ain't gonna let you just walk in and take her! Not without some payment."

"We can use my share of the job today." Kaylee volunteered immediately.

"I'll donate some as well." Zoë said. "Captain?"

Mal closed his eyes. "All right, all right. Personally, I think for once Jayne is right and this is crazy, but all right. Kaylee, the kid's your responsibility and we will drop her at the first orphanage we come to on Persephone, is that clear?"

"Clear as day, captain!" Kaylee gave him a quick hug.

"I think you'd better be the one to negotiate this, sir." Zoë said quietly. "I doubt they'll be real agreeable about this." They waited for him to move, but he remained in place, eyes still shut. "Um, sir are you all right?

"I'm just reminiscing. I've got a lovely memory that took place not an hour ago, where I was marveling at the sweet simplicity of this job. And now it has turned into the something that's most definitely not simple. Kaylee come with me."

Mal strode over to the sheriff. "Sheriff could I have a word with you? It's about your thief."

"Make it quick."

"Will do. Look, way I see it, this kid has caused a lot of trouble here and you'd probably just as soon be rid of her."

"That is the truth."

"Well, my ship's next stop is Persephone and they've got some good orphanages there. Why don't you let me take the little varmint with me and I'll drop her off at one?" Another thought suddenly occurred to Mal and he asked hopefully, "Unless she has family around here to be returned to."

"She don't. We was just going to toss her in the mines. Those mines can make a powerful improvement on a person's attitude. Kid don't deserve no orphanage."

"You believe in ghosts?" Mal asked bluntly.

"What?" The sheriff was taken aback. "Of course not. Why do you ask?"

"You and I both know a child that size ain't gonna survive the mines. I wouldn't even give her a year. I'm just wonderin' how you're gonna like havin' her blood on your hands…when her spirit's no longer bound to that little body, she may take a mind to come after somebody."

The sheriff looked decidedly uncomfortable. "Look, you want her, you take her. I don't give a flip what you do with her. I ain't payin' her passage on your ship though, if that's what you're after."

"That's fine. We'll take her off your hands now. Kaylee, get her and meet us out front. I've got to make sure we got all the parts."

"I love my captain." she murmured. Trying not to look too triumphant, she shot a pointed glance at the sheriff. "I'll untie her." Almost afraid that he would change his mind, she moved quickly over the girl. "It's okay, it's okay." she quickly soothed as Devyn jerked in fear. "You're coming with us. It's going to be okay." Devyn stared incredulously, fear evident on her face. However, she must have decided quickly that going with this stranger couldn't possibly be worse than staying with the men intent on throwing her into the mines, because she slid off the tall chair and clasped Kaylee's outstretched hand. Casting one last unbelieving look behind her, she allowed herself to be pulled away.

Kaylee wasted no time in striding away from the men, as they certainly looked none too pleased at the turn of events which included their little thief being led away by a woman who obviously held no ill plans for her. Kaylee looked down and marveled again that one so small could be capable of such crime. She supposed that when clean, there was a head of reddish-brown hair, not so different from her own, hanging over a pair of unhappy green eyes. Devyn reminded her of her rabbit she'd found many years ago, caught in a trap. "Maybe you're my little rabbit now, huh." she said softly.

"What?" The child's lip quivered.

"Nothin'." Kaylee smiled. Zoë was waiting for them in front of the hardware store.

"They went to get the parts." she stated quietly in explanation.

"Right. This is Devyn. Honey, this is Zoë. She's the first mate on our ship. Our ship's called Serenity."

Zoë carefully held out a hand to which Devyn gave a quick squeeze before pulling away. Zoë kept her thoughts to herself and the three of them stood in silence, until Mal, Wash and Jayne reappeared, each holding some piece of machinery.

"Hope you got the narrow one." she said, taking a quick glance in Mal's sack.

He shot her a look and then said, "Let's get back to the ship. We're long overdue." His face said it all and so it was without words that they all climbed aboard the mule and sped back to Serenity. The motor made talking difficult and so they didn't even try. Serenity waited for them and the hatch was lowered with a rather offended air, as though she knew they were late. The other passengers, Shepherd Book, Inara, Simon and River were waiting inside and there were sounds of surprise and questions as Devyn stepped aboard the ship, still clinging tightly to Kaylee's hand. Devyn appeared completely overwhelmed as her green eyes darted from crewmember to crewmember, to the space inside the ship.

Mal firmly dismissed the questions. "Let's get this ship in the air please." His tone made it clear that it was not a request. Those who had jobs immediately set about doing them and Kaylee took the time to introduce her little charge to the rest of the passengers. "This is Devyn. She'll be traveling with us for a little while…and will be helping me in the engine room." Then moving around the room, Kaylee introduced Devyn to each person still in the cargo bay. "This is Shepherd Book, who's traveling with us."

"I'm happy to meet you, child." He gently shook her hand, curiosity evident on his face.

"This is Simon, who's our ship's doctor and his sweet little sister, River." Simon raised his eyebrows at the sight of the child, but smiled and softly said hello.

River gazed at Devyn with unmasked curiosity and said candidly, "She was alone. She was hungry." Before River could say more, Kaylee hurriedly continued.

"This is Inara. She lives in one of the shuttles." Devyn looked up at Inara in awe, who smiled warmly back.

"It's good to meet you, sweetie."

"You saw Wash, Zoë, and Jayne and of course…" Kaylee paused as Mal reentered the room. "Our captain."

Mal dropped to one knee. "Come here, Devyn." Hesitantly the child moved to stand before him. He put his hand on her shoulder. "As captain, I make the rules and everyone else obeys them. You behave yourself on this ship, things'll be good. Step out of line…and there'll be some major beat down going on.." A dry smirk hovered across his face. "Are we clear?"

Devyn gave a quick nod.

"Here Devyn, come with me." Kaylee said quickly, reaching out for Devyn's hand and giving Mal a reproachful look. "How about a bath and maybe we can find something else for you to wear?"

"The engine room ain't gonna clean itself, Kaylee." Mal warned. "Just a friendly reminder."

"It'll get taken care of, don't you worry. Besides I've got good help now." Kaylee smiled down at Devyn, who met her eyes and slowly smiled back.

Amusement evident on her face, Inara watched Kaylee from the open door of the laboratory. She turned as Mal approached and peered in to get a look for himself.

"If you've found something funny about this situation, I'd take it as a kindness if you'd share it with me." Mal commented dryly.

"You don't find it amusing that a girl who is never without engine grease on her face, is now scrubbing a child as though her life depends on it?"

"I suppose." Mal shifted and exhaled in discontentment. "This whole situation just don't sit real comfortable with me."

"Well, from what Kaylee said, neither did leaving the child to the mercy of those men. I don't think you had a choice."

"I guess not." Mal mumbled. "I realize she's just a kid, but I also really ain't in the habit of takin' pickpockets aboard."

Inara cocked her head and tucked a wayward black curl behind her ear. "I'm surprised at you, Mal. I would have thought you'd empathize greatly with her." A hint of sarcasm could be detected in her tone. "Times are hard, we take what jobs we get. Seems I recall hearing those exact words yesterday when we were discussing you taking a job on this planet, as a string of very similar planets…where respectable cliental doesn't exist. Thievery…as evidenced both by that child's occupation and your reason for landing there, obviously do."

Mal gave her a smile that did not meet his eyes. "I prefer to think of my activities…illegal though some of them may be…as respectable." He shrugged and his shoulders slumped a little. "Take it as you will." He looked up and smirked at her before saying, "We can't be all that bad…after all you're still choosing to fly with us." More carefree, he turned and strode away.

Inara stood with her lips tightened and she muttered an ill Chinese phrase after him. "Not for long."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 "I put her to sleep in the guest bunk." Kaylee announced as she stepped into the bridge. Most of the crew, as well as the shepherd and the doctor had congregated there and Kaylee looked around curiously. "Why's everybody in here? What's wrong?"

For a moment no one spoke and then Mal leaned forward slightly. "Kaylee, we're just a little concerned about your little pickpocket."

Startled, Kaylee met his eyes. "Why? I'll be takin' care of her…just like I promised. She won't be no trouble. I'll see to it."

"You've just gotten attached to her awful quick, Kaylee." Zoë spoke up.

Wash chimed in. "As though you've completely forgotten that she robbed us."

Stung Kaylee replied, "Are you saying we should have left her in Telso? Left her to be thrown in to the mines to be the play thing of disgusting, evil-"

"No one's saying that." Mal interrupted. "Just you keep in mind that she's going to the first orphanage we find in Persephone. And it wouldn't hurt you to remind herself that she was not entirely an innocent victim back there."

"She's eight." Kaylee said, iron entering her voice. "What else do you do when you're an orphan and no one cares whether you live or die?"

"Of course, it's not entirely the girl's fault." Shepherd Book interjected. "I don't think Kaylee showing the child a bit of love and compassion while she's on this ship is a bad

thing."

"I just don't want you gettin' too attached." Mal said, firmly. "And I expect that when she's in her bunk instead of with you, that you close the door from above, lockin' her in."

Kaylee pursed her lips. "Fine. But I think trusting a person can go a long way towards keepin' them on the straight and narrow. I'll go _lock_ her up now." She strode out of the bridge and towards the bunkroom where she'd made up a bed for Devyn. Trying not to make too much noise she carefully pulled the ladder shut. She turned and was startled to find the doctor standing behind her. "Simon!"

"I…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I just wanted to-"

"Lecture me about taking care of an innocent girl?"

"No. I just wondered if they had hurt her back at Telso. I thought maybe I should check her. I can do it in the morning…if you want. And I..uh..think this is a good thing. What you're doing."

Kaylee's face stretched into a smile. "Well, thanks Simon. I appreciate that."

"I understand why the others are a little concerned…" Kaylee's face began to darken again, and he hurried on. "But I understand what you're feeling."

"Yeah…" Kaylee nodded thoughtfully. "I guess you would. To be honest she reminds me of a little rabbit."

"A rabbit?" Simon's lips curled upward in amusement.

"Yes. I was playing the woods near our house. I was ten. There was this terrible shrieking noise and I found this poor little rabbit caught in a trap. His leg was all mangled and bloody…" Kaylee's lip trembled and Simon put a comforting hand on her arm. I managed to get the trap open…and it _bit_ me and then it ran off. I just sat there crying because I knew I could have helped it…given it medicine and set its leg. But he would die in pain." Kaylee shook her head ruefully. "There was so much trouble on account of that. The man who owned the land I was on accused me of robbin' his traps…I was ten! Can you imagine? I've never forgotten that day though. And Devyn reminds me of that little bunny. And this time…I want her to let me help her." Kaylee quickly brushed away a tear. "I'll have you check her in the morning. You're sweet to offer." She bit her lip nervously and then quickly stretched up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before walking rapidly towards to engine room. Simon stood there was a long while with his hand to his cheek.

Mal stepped back from the doorway after seeing Kaylee and Simon talking. "I think we got problems."

"Maybe not sir." Zoë peeked out again to look at Simon. "It's kind of sweet really. Her little rabbit. And for once Simon managed to have a whole conversation with her that didn't involve him putting his foot in his mouth."

"Yeah, that is pretty remarkable." Mal mumbled.

Devyn caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass window of the infirmary. She looked funny. Not in a bad way really, but…Devyn couldn't remember ever having her hair brushed before. Her reddish brown hair was pulled out of her face with a leather band and it hung down her back all smooth and shiny. It smelled good too, like berries. The doctor had been nice, she thought and peered back in to the room where she had been only moments earlier being given a checkup. It was a room unlike any she'd seen before, full of bottles and tools.

"Devyn!" Kaylee called out. "Come with me. We're going to the engine room."

Slowly, Devyn trailed after her. They entered the small crowded room, where Kaylee stood still a moment with her hands on her hips, staring down at Devyn. "Hmm. Here I have a job for you." Kaylee stepped back out of the room and opened the door leading to a small closet. The slanted roof of the room made it useful only for small tools and junk, and she pulled a box out, followed by several cans of various shapes. She knelt down and Devyn hunched over beside her, curious as to what was in the box. After struggling with it for a moment, Kaylee popped the lip open. "There!" she proclaimed triumphantly. The box was filled to the brim with a jumble of screws, bolts and nuts, all caught in tangles of cord and wire. "These can all be used, but just need to be organized. I need you to separate the screws and things into the different cans and then untangle the string and wire and roll them into balls. Think you can do that for me?" Kaylee gave Devyn an encouraging smile.

"Yes." Devyn replied seriously. She rather thought at this point that she might do just about anything for Kaylee.

"Good. There's some parts that need cleanin' in here, so you just sit tight."

Devyn watched Kaylee disappear into the engine room before sitting back on her knees in front of the box. Carefully she lined up the cans, picked up the first screw and dropped it into one of the cans. As her small hands worked, she began to ponder the situation. Her life, short as it was, had taken a truly shocking turn of events. Devyn thought it was almost more like a dream, than anything else. Considering what she'd faced on Telso, she hoped she wouldn't wake up. Visions from the day before played in her mind. "I shouldn't a got caught." she mumbled in disgust to herself. "Uncle Finny would be shamed of me."

"Who?"

Devyn jumped at the voice behind her, nearly scattering her handful of screws. She looked up at Mal who stood leaning against one wall.

"I didn't hear you…"

"Did you say you had an uncle?"

Devyn's voice shook slightly. "He's dead."

Mal studied her. "Do you have any family?"

"I lived under some stairs…" she answered hesitantly. "Back further, where I couldn't get cause it was too small, there was mice that lived there. Sometimes three and sometimes ten. I could lay real still and they would come play. I would give them crumbs. They were my mouse family."

Mal looked towards the ceiling and muttered, "I guess I got my answer."

"Do..do you have mice?" Devyn asked timidly.

"No." Mal answered. "No mice on this ship. I'll let you get back to your…" he motioned down at the box and cans. He started to turn away but Devyn spoke again.

"Maybe you could get a cat then. Cats are nice."

"A cat would eat your mice."

"Well, you don't have any, so they would be safe."

Mal sighed. "Yeah, well a cat probably wouldn't be very happy."

Devyn nodded seriously. "Maybe you're right. It might climb in the engine and get baked or something. You shouldn't get a cat. It would be a problem."

Mal shook his head. "Back to work, little girl." He turned and strode away mumbling, "Problems seem to have a way of finding their way aboard this ship whether I like it or not."

Devyn didn't hear. She sat back down and began separating the nuts and bolts, though she gazed after the captain. Kaylee had told her it was his doing that she had been rescued, as he had talked the sheriff into letting her go. Still, he was gruff and stern and Devyn thought she would avoid getting on his bad side. She would only be on this ship a few days from what Kaylee had said. Until…Persephone. There were orphanages there.

No one was around to see, but Devyn's face settled into a sulk at the very idea. There were no orphanages on Telso, but she knew what they were of course. Kaylee had said it was a place that took care of children, but Devyn doubted it was nice. She pictured in her mind a large misshapen building with strange arcutecture and the windows all boarded up or probably no windows at all. Inside there would be lots of children, all made to stand in lines all day. Old men and women without faces walked up and down the aisles of children making sure they didn't talk. Devyn had never had many joys in her life, but she imagined that what few things she liked would have no place in this orphanage. There would be no little mice or birds waiting for crumbs. There would be no rock candy or apple slices.

She gritted her teeth. They could take her there but they couldn't make her stay. Surely Persephone had places to hide…she would run as soon as they left the ship. She had never had a problem slipping away from people…except of course on her last day at Telso. She knew why too. Normally, Devyn picked pockets and purses only a few at a time, hiding them almost immediately. But that day she had had the bright idea of stuffing them in her shirt. She'd supposed it would be make her look plump, but rather, it had given that man more of a handhold.

"Looks like you're almost done." Kaylee poked her head out the door at Devyn.

"Yep." Devyn cocked her head the nearly empty box, rather pleased with herself. She only needed to roll the wire and string into balls.

"You did a good job." Kaylee said, with a smile. "Finish up and then I'll show you how to properly balance a rotator."

"You wanted to see me?" Zoë stepped into the infirmary, to find Simon busy polishing a set of hemostats.

"Yes, I have something that I think will prove very useful to both of us." Pulling open a drawer, he removed a small, flat tin and set it on the examining table, before opening it to reveal several packets.

"Bandages?" Zoë asked.

"Yes. They're adhesive bandages that you and the crew can easily carry while you're out on jobs.. I've been experimenting with them and I've layered the tissue, creating a pocket. The pockets are filled with an antibacterial ointment that will permeate through the second layer, once this top strip is ripped away. The gel formula also includes a mild localizing painkiller. If anyone happens to be injured, these will highly increase the chances for an infection free recovery, as well as making you much more comfortable until I have you here in the infirmary."

"Sounds good, doc. You've been making good use of your time in between jobs."

"Well…" Simon hesitated. "I know the captain's turned down several jobs on account of River and me, and I just…well, I don't want him to regret it. I do understand that jobs are becoming more scarce."

Zoë gave him her dry smile. "I know you do, doctor. I think these will be real good for us to have on hand." She picked up one of the bandages to examine it.

Seeing that she seemed in no hurry to leave, Simon took the chance for conversation. "I saw Kaylee and the girl going into the engine room. Kaylee seems to be enjoying her little charge. It's kind of a strange thing to see a child on Serenity."

Zoë stirred. "Yes…well. See that these are doled out to everyone for the next job." She turned to leave.

River had been perched on a tall stool on the other side of the room, but as Zoë turned to leave, she looked up briefly before returning to the tiny threads she was intent on weaving together. Frowning at a blue thread which appeared to have unraveled, she said, "She wishes for a child. To be her own and of her own. Pieces of two, joined, making one face. Dark skin. Red hair. The floor is too shaky."

"River." Simon scolded, quickly looking at Zoë.

The tall woman stood motionless for a moment, before spinning to turn out of the room.

"I'm sorry." Simon offered, hesitantly, not knowing if she would hear it or if she would accept it if she did.

Zoë stopped and still looking straight out the door, said to River, "It may be too shaky, but things will never be completely smooth, will they? We can't always wait." She moved quickly away and disappeared around the corner.

"Why'd you say that?" Simon asked his sister, feeling frustrated.

River looked at him with her innocent brown eyes. "She wants a child. There is a child on the ship. It makes her think. Makes her wish."

"Well, I doubt she appreciated hearing it from you."

River closed her eyes and leaned her head back, opening her mouth and sticking out her tongue.

"River, what are you doing?"

"Trying to catch the snowflakes on my tongue."

With a sigh, Simon replaced the bandage box in the drawer. "Sometimes I wonder why I try." The fond look he sent his sister contradicted his words.

It was several hours later that the crew all gathered in the kitchen for a meal. Shepherd Book had taken over meal preparation, something everyone was thankful for. Put spices in the man's hand and he could make cardboard appetizing. Devyn quickly determined that the food was one reason to be happy to be on Serenity and silently dug in. The crew was discussing the pros and cons of the various ships they had been on over the years and not paying much attention to her, for which she was grateful. She looked up in surprise when the shepherd spoke to her.

"Did you have a good morning, Devyn?"

Startled, she didn't answer until Kaylee gave her a little nudge and said, "We had a

real good morning."

"Yeah." Devyn said, nervous now, with all eyes on her. "I organized screws and balanced a rotator and learned about different tools. And…and cleaned rust off things."

She bit her lip.

"Sounds like you did a great deal this morning." the shepherd said, encouragingly. "I thought if it's all right with Kaylee, you could help me clean up the kitchen after we eat."

"Sounds fine to me." Kaylee said. She gave the shepherd a sunny smile.

As the attention left her, Devyn focused on her food again, but kept her eye on the shepherd. She rather liked him…his eyes were gentle and his voice was kind.

When everyone finished eating, Devyn looked to the shepherd and he motioned for her to start picking up the dishes. Carefully she picked up a plate and carried it over to the sink to be washed, before returning to the table. With a glass in each hand, she turned towards the sink again, but suddenly stumbled landing flat on her face. "Oww."

"Are you all right?" the shepherd exclaimed. Mal who had been examining an unstable chair leg also looked up.

Devyn sat up. "What'd I trip over?" she asked clutching her elbow. All three of them looked but there appeared to be nothing that could be obstacle.

"It's all right, nothing's broken." the shepherd said, comfortingly.

Devyn looked over at Mal, a fearful expression on her face.

Seeming startled by it, he gave her a quick smile. "It happens."

Devyn handed the glasses, which had remained intact to the shepherd. "I'm clumsy a lot."

"You ain't the only one." Mal said, looking over at Jayne who had reappeared in the doorway.

Jayne responded to the jab at his agility by belching loudly and then carefully laying a rifle and several packets down on the table. "Time to clean my guns." he explained unnecessarily. "Mal, why're you tearin' apart the chairs?"

"Cross bar's loose. It's gonna collapse under somebody one of these days." Mal mumbled, without looking up from his position on the floor, where he was hunched over the overturned chair.

"Come Devyn." Shepherd Book drew her attention back to the task at hand. "Here." He handed her a striped towel. "I'll wash and you dry."

Obediently, Devyn stood at the ready. "These flowers are pretty." she said, reaching out with towel to slide it down the vine of colored blossoms hand painted down the side of the wall.

Shepherd Book smiled and handed her a wet plate. "Yes, they are. I imagine Kaylee painted them there. I don't believe the captain is endowed with that kind of artistic talent."

Mal stood up and stretched. "That's why I hired Kaylee. To make my ship shiny." He smirked and then picked up one of Jayne's pistols. "This one's nice. Got much of a recoil?"

"Not for me." Jayne grunted. "Now, Vera, here," he nodded towards his prized rifle, one he was intent on polishing. "She's got a kick. But she's steady."

Devyn stared intently at Jayne, her eyes wide, but didn't say anything. The room was silent for several minutes, each person concentrating on their respective tasks. Inara appeared in the doorway.

"Mal, could I speak with you? Whenever you're not busy."

Mal straightened up and winced as his spine cracked. "Walk with me to the storage closet. I need sealant for that gorram chair."

As they left the room, the shepherd asked Devyn, "Did you sleep comfortably in your room last night?" At her nod, he added, "You weren't afraid, being in a strange place?"

"No." Devyn said quietly. "It was soft. There weren't any stars though. I like stars."

"Well, this ship offers a wonderful view of the stars. You'll have to go onto the bridge tonight and see."

"I can't." Devyn answered seriously, her eyes focusing on the shepherd.

"Why not?"

"I'm locked in."

"Oh." Shepherd Book pursed his lips slightly, feeling awkward. "Well, Devyn, this ship's not a safe place for children to wander around in alone and we want you to be safe."

Jayne chortled down at his guns and cleaning cloths. "My big hairy toes we do! It's our goods we're keepin' safe. No use pretendin'."

Shepherd Book rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "Your input is appreciated."

Devyn bit her lower lip, not sure how to respond. This great hulk of a man did not like her, that was for certain and the glint in his eyes frightened her. "I wish I hadn't took your wallet!" she burst out suddenly. "It…it made my hands smell funny."

Jayne straightened up and the small handgun he was polishing clattered to the table. "Now, see here…" As Jayne took an angry step towards the person in the room who barely reached his pockets in height, he stepped squarely onto the overturned chair Mal had left on the floor. The chair with its already weakened support system, did not put up a strong fight and the two side legs snapped off and the clamp holding the crossbar Mal had been concerned over rolled away from its home and underneath the drainage system. Jayne easily kept his balance, but cursed loudly at the site of the chair now in pieces.

"I second that." Mal snapped, having walked into the room, a bottle of sealant in his hand. He then uttered a fowl Chinese phrase. "I do not got the money to be spending on new chairs for this boat! What'd you go and do that for?!"

"Tain't my fault, Mal!" Jayne protested. "Kid was braggin' about pickin' my pocket!"

Mal's face went hard and he swung to face Devyn and the shepherd. "That so?"

Devyn's face fell and she grabbed the shepherd's hand and stepped in to the safety of his shadow.

"Not entirely." the shepherd answered dryly. "I believe it was more an insinuation that Jayne, or rather that his wallet, smelled."

"Thank you, preacher." Jayne said, triumphantly.

Mal closed his eyes and exhaled, looking as though a very bad headache was about to come on. "Little girl, come here."

Devyn, who was completely hidden from view behind the shepherd made no move to make herself visible. Mal shot the shepherd a look and he gently began to tug her around front. "Captain…" he said warningly.

Mal exhaled loudly. "Would you…I ain't gonna…come here, darlin." A trace of sarcasm was in his voice, but Devyn slowly moved in front of him anyway. Getting down on his knees, Mal pulled her towards the counter. "Look, the clamp and the crossbar from that chair rolled down the drainage vent here. Can you squeeze in there and get it?"

Hesitantly, Devyn hunched down and peered down at the space underneath the counter. Serenity boasted a unique garbage disposal system, set in place by its previous owner. Underneath the counter, a narrow space existed where garbage or any type of sewage could be swept. There was a lever, that when cranked, turned on a system of blades that disintegrated the repose into fine powder that could then be released into the black. The space underneath the counter was not a place to drop something you valued.

Devyn looked at Mal. "Do those blades turn on?"

"Only if somebody turns the lever." he said confidently.

"What if I fall? Or I get stuck?"

"No chance." Mal said, firmly. "I'll hold on to your feet."

Devyn sat for a moment and then suddenly swiveled to fix her eyes on Jayne. "_He'll_ push the lever, I know it."

With a deadpan expression, Mal looked her straight in the eye and said, "Then I will shoot him."

"Okay." Hesitantly, Devyn lay flat down on her belly and pushed herself into the space, waiting until she felt Mal get a firm grip on her feet before sliding down.

"This is just too tempting." Jayne mumbled.

"This is ridiculous." Shepherd Book said, shaking his head at the scene before him.

"Jayne…" Mal said warningly. "Why don't you set yourself down and finish cleaning your guns." Once satisfied that Jayne was occupying himself, Mal turned his attention back to Devyn. "How you doing in there?"

"I got it, I think. It's dirty down here. Please pull me up!" A slight edge of panic accompanied her last sentence and Mal immediately started gently tugging.

"_What_ is going on?"

Mal winced and turned to see Kaylee standing in the doorway, her hand to her mouth. Quickly, with one last tug, he pulled Devyn completely free. "Just finishin' up the chores." he said, giving Kaylee a quick smile.

"Here." Devyn held out the crossbar, the clamp still firmly attached.

"Thank you, Devyn." Mal said, pleased, taking it from her and after examining it, finding it still intact. He ruffled her hair. "Maybe you _will_ prove useful."

"It's all right, Kaylee." the shepherd said placatingly. "I think Devyn's done here and can go with you now, wouldn't you say, captain?"

"Absolutely. And I can fix this chair. Go on, Devyn." Taking her wrist, he pulled her to her feet and gave her a light smack to propel her forward.

Kaylee cast him a suspicious look, but took Devyn's hand and strode out of the room, muttering something in Chinese. 


	3. Chapter 3

**I Chapter 3**

****

"Inara's got clients lined up on Persephone, so I figure we'll just stay on Marnine that night."

"Sounds fine to me," Wash answered Mal. "Kaylee's been worried about rust on the propellers, so we'll take care of that then."

"Wonder who could be so important on Marnine?" Zoë wandered.

"Fella named Paul Watson." Mal shrugged. "She just said that he was an important client, and she ain't had any in a while, so figure it don't hurt us to make an unplanned stop."

"Suppose that'll make Kaylee happy." Wash said. "I think she'd keep that kid if she could."

"Well, she can't." Mal said firmly. "She has to know that this ship ain't no place to raise a child."

"Why not?" Zoë asked suddenly. "I would think a ship's as good a place as any." She shot Wash a look.

Not catching the undertone in her voice, Mal said, "I ain't saying there's anything wrong with the ship. But this line of work's too dangerous. What happens if we don't come back from a job? And much as Wash keeps us flyin' below the radar, we occasionally do come in contact with some undesirables."

"I haven't noticed the ground below being any different."

Startled at the tone in Zoë's voice, Mal looked up at her and decided it wasn't worth arguing further. "Maybe you're right. But we're not keepin' this one."

Inara looked up, startled to see a small, dark head peeking in around the heavy brocade curtain forming a veil over her shuttle's entrance. "Devyn, is that you? You can come in."

Devyn stepped hesitantly into the room, her eyes wide in awe. "It's like a fairy story in here." she said sincerely.

Inara smiled from her place on the sofa where she had been reading. "Are you lost or did you need something? I thought you were with Kaylee."

"I was. I brought you this." Devyn held out a small box containing a light bulb.

"Oh, for above my desk." Inara exclaimed. "I thought Kaylee had forgotten. Thank you."

"I can put it in for you." Devyn said, holding the box tightly against her chest. "That's been my job today - putting in hundreds and hundreds of lights."

"All right." Inara said, hesitantly. She led the way to her desk and pulled back one of the many gauzy pieces of material hanging over her desk. She then carefully opened a small metal door, revealing a place for the bulb. With a childish grace, Devyn scrambled on top of the desk and balancing on her knees, carefully screwed the bulb in. When finished, she closed the panel.

"Oh, there's a star pattern in it!" she exclaimed and looked at Inara in delight. "Why do you cover it up?"

Inara smiled and helped Devyn down. "Watch." With the flick of a switch, the desk was illuminated with tiny patterns of stars that seemed to dance due to the movements of the gauzy material.

"Oh, that's pretty." Devyn said, her eyes shining.

"You have pretty eyes." Inara returned.

"Like cat's eyes. I like your room. What were you doing?" Devyn asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

"Just reading. Do you like to read?"

"Can't." Devyn said, sadly. "I couldn't hear the teacher from outside the window."

"You…ah…there wasn't enough room inside?" Inara asked gently, though she knew before the girl spoke that she'd probably been turned away.

Devyn shrugged and said softly, "I couldn't hear her."

Inara's heart constricted as she looked down at the girl in front of her. The raggedy blue shirt was only held together in front by two buttons and a threadbare gray cotton shirt was visible underneath. The toes of her boots were nearly worn through, but were hard to see under the baggy brown pants that were far too long for her. The clothes at least were clean and Inara gave Kaylee credit for that. At least at an orphanage, Devyn would be properly clothed and educated. However, Inara could suppress the desire to do something herself. "Tonight," she heard herself saying. "After dinner, find me and I'll teach you your letters at least. A girl should be able to write her name."

"All right." Devyn smiled in surprise. "I better go. I'm working with Kaylee."

"I know."

"Bye." Flashing her another shy smile, Devyn disappeared once more through the curtains.

Devyn hummed to herself as she skipped down the stairs away from Inara's shuttle. This ship was a completely different world that the one she'd lived on for so long until just yesterday. Inara's shuttle seemed like a place out of her dreams. The people on this ship were different too. Devyn wondered if maybe she was like a regular person on this ship. On Telso she had always been separate, belonging and fitting in no where. Here, it was different. Not that everyone liked her, but-

At the sight of Jayne's hulking form blocking her path, Devyn instinctively darted away from him, slipping underneath the stairwell. It led to nowhere and with a surprising amount of speed and grace, Jayne caught the hem of her baggy shirt and pulled her to him.

"Just what do you think you're doin'?" he asked, gruffly.

"Taking a light bulb to Inara. I…I got to find Kaylee now." She tried to squirm out of his tight hold, but to no avail.

"She said for you to wait." Jayne spoke. "On account of she's welding in the engine room."

"So you best come with me." Mal spoke up from behind Jayne.

Relieved, Devyn ran to Mal and slid her hand into his. Mal tensed at the sudden touch, but didn't pull his hand away.

"Too bad." Jayne said with a smirk. "I was gonna have her spot me while I lift."

"Yeah, too bad." Mal retorted. "Considering I've seen rats that weigh more than she does." He turned and started pulling Devyn towards the bridge.

"She kinda reminds me of a rat." Jayne mumbled in parting.

Mal glanced down at Devyn, but she didn't appear to have heard, so they continued on. Under his breath, he muttered, "She's a drowned rat washed up on my shores."

As soon as they were alone, Devyn was suddenly uncertain as to the value in her trade of keepers. "I can't go to Kaylee?" she asked timidly.

"Nope." Mal said, briskly. "You're stuck with me for now. And we are goin' to see what goes on in Marnine." They entered the bridge where Wash looked up and smiled in greeting.

Mal slid into the chair opposite Wash's. "Wash, let's check the postits for Marnine. Then we need to plot a course from Persephone."

"All right." Wash quickly brought up a visual of Marnine and began mumbling about the various places he could land.

"You should always know as much about what you're getting yourself into, before you're in it." Mal said to Devyn.

"Okay." she agreed, leaning herself against the side of the middle of the control panel so she could watch both of them.

"These postits will tell us if a world has any special problems or particular people we should be watching out for." Mal continued. "We knew Telso was a mining town with rival companies who acted like street gangs and also, that petty thievery was a real problem." Mal glanced at Devyn through slitted eyes, curious to see what her reaction would be.

"My name wasn't on the postits." she said confidently.

"No, I don't recall it was." Wash said, dryly, glancing over at Mal.

"That's cause I had never been caught yet."

"So what happened this time?" Mal asked.

Devyn shook her head sadly. "I put the stuff in my shirt instead of hiding it. I thought I'd look nice and fat but it had too many lumps I guess."

"You took my wallet, remember?" Wash couldn't help but say.

Even as Devyn nodded in agreement, her forehead creased in puzzlement and confusion flitted through her green eyes. She rested her chin on her hands and contemplated, while staring out at the afternoon sky. For a long time, she was silent and so Mal and Wash resumed their discussion of Marnine. The small moon on which this special client of Inara's resided seemed ordinary enough and presented no special problems.

"I didn't know you then." Devyn suddenly said, having obviously come to an acceptable conclusion in her mind.

"Well, now." Mal turned to her. "That mean you got no intention to steal from anyone on this boat?"

"I'm not hungry." she answered solemnly.

"Guess you do what you got to, to survive." Mal mumbled. He considered himself the last person with the right to tell the girl she had been wrong. Truthfully he thought the people of Telso were much more at fault. Mal had always stood by the principle that if one did not work, one did not eat. How hard would it have been for one of the shopkeepers to have her sweep the walks and run errands in exchange for a few pennies? And were there no motherly sorts in the town who could've taken a little pity on a child? "You come here and listen to me." Mal commanded finally. He pulled her between his knees and put his hands on her shoulders to hold her in place. "Now, where you're goin' they'll feed you and you'll go to school. So when you get bigger, you get yourself a good, honest, payin' job. Are we clear?"

"Or marry rich." Wash suggested.

"And no whorin'." Mal finished.

"I don't even want to know." Zoë stepped onto the bridge. "Are we plotting away from Persephone yet?"

"Just in time, baby." Wash pulled Zoë to him for a quick kiss, before she turned to Devyn.

"You like to draw, Devyn?"

"I don't know."

Zoë pulled a small pad of paper away from Wash's elbow, produced a pencil and squatted down next to Devyn. "Would you like to try?"

"Yes. But what should I draw?"

"Anything you'd like." Zoë turned back to Mal and Wash.

Nearly twenty minutes had gone by when Devyn tugged gently at Zoë's elbow. "I'm finished." Obligingly, Zoë turned to look and was gratified to see herself.

"It's me."

Devyn smiled.

Wash leaned in to examine the portrait. "That's a pretty good likeness of you, honey." He chuckled.

"You think?" Zoë gingerly touched her face. Although confident in her physical appearance, Zoë was not a vain woman. However, she thought it wouldn't hurt to take a moment and run down to her bunk and make certain her eyebrows weren't quite as in need of plucking as they appeared in the picture.

"Where's her gun?" Mal asked.

Devyn rolled her eyes at him. "Girls don't have guns."

Both Mal and Wash openly guffawed, as Zoë raised an eyebrow at Devyn. "Young lady, there are many reasons proving it's a very good thing you left Telso behind you. The best ladies there are, carry guns."

"Oh." Devyn apologetically took the paper back. "I'll put your gun in."

"Com us whenever you're ready. No big rush."

"Thank you Mal. I appreciate this." Inara lifted a well-manicured hand in farewell.

"Yeah, well, have a good night." Mal closed the shuttle door behind him and then

sealed off the second door, clearing the ship for Inara's departure. He headed towards the dining area and smiled appreciatively when he detected a rather pleased aroma. Whatever else one thought about the shepherd, no one could deny he was a handy man with the spices. Mal came upon River in the hallway. The girl was swaying as though to music only she could hear, and a dreamy smile was on her face. "Come on, little genius." he said, beckoning to her. "Aren't you hungry?"

"The body can go several weeks while deprived of sustenance, but only 3 days without hydration." she told him, but did not seem inclined to prove her words, as she followed him.

"Bread tonight!" Kaylee announced happily as she set a basket down onto the table.

"Good." Mal slid into place and looked up in time to see Simon rush to pull a chair out for Kaylee. He was rewarded with a beaming smile, which made Mal roll his eyes. He pushed back onto his chair legs.

"It _is_ a special thing to have fresh bread." Shepherd Book commented. He looked over at Mal. "Perhaps on such a night the captain wouldn't mind if I said grace."

Setting his chair down with a thump and allowing his fist to bang onto the table, Mal glared. "It just so happens that I _do_ mind. We have discussed-"

"Yes, we have." the shepherd broke in. "And I have come to the conclusion that you still very much believe in God. Else you wouldn't be so opposed to His presence on your ship. After all, you never oppose Inara practicing her Buddhist beliefs."

Mal sat, speechless for a moment, until Jayne gave him a sharp nudge.

"Let him say, it Mal. Before he decides to stop cookin' for us."

Through gritted teeth, Mal answered. "Fine. You can pray at dinner only and the subject is limited to the food and our safety. And that's the last I'll say on it."

"That's fine." The shepherd proceeded to say a short grace, thanking the Almighty for the food and requesting safekeeping.

The fresh bread and spicy stew on the table, really were worthy of thanks, but Mal found himself feeling pensive. He thought the table did not seem complete without Inara, even though they'd added an extra person to it. He was thankful Inara had not yet carried out her threat to leave Serenity and return to teach at the Academy. Of course, he would never have admitted that to anyone he didn't intend to kill shortly there after. He couldn't say exactly what he felt about Inara anyway, because he wasn't really sure himself. But he did know he missed her when she was gone and that things would be very different were she to leave for good.

No one seemed to notice his brooding silence and so he continued in it. His gaze settled onto his first mate. Even during the war, when Zoë was covered in blood, sweat and grime, she was considered beautiful. However, she had been labeled the "ice queen," by most of the men and it was a rare thing to see her smile. Mal never questioned her unshakable loyalty to him, though at times he thought he didn't deserve it. Mal rarely looked behind him because he knew she'd have his back.

Wash was sitting next to Zoë. They were an unlikely couple, tall, lean Zoë with her chocolaty dark skin and hair, next to red-haired, fair-skinned Wash, with his shorter, muscular stature. Wash was unique. He could make her laugh like no one else could and there were few who could match Wash as a pilot. Zoë and Wash respected each other, Mal supposed, and not only valued, but complimented each other's differences.

Shepherd Book was across from Wash, a smirk on his face as he conversed with Jayne. As a principle, Mal didn't appreciate the man's attempts to bring religion onto the boat, but he couldn't deny that he liked the man as a person. Book's strength, wisdom and surprising amount of knowledge of the way the worlds turned had gotten them out of more than one scrape.

Jayne's hulking form made him quite useful in any type of scrape, but neither Mal, nor any of the crew, entirely trusted him. It had been a surprising turn of events when he and the shepherd had bonded. That Jayne actually seemed to respect a man of the cloth was something Mal thought he would never comprehend, but if the friendship put a bit of morals into Jayne's head, Mal certainly didn't object.

Simon seemed preoccupied with encouraging his sister to eat her food, rather than to form geometric puzzles with it. The young doctor perplexed Mal greatly, but in truth he respected him more than he ever let on. That wasn't to say he liked him all the time and no captain could appreciate the trouble carrying two Alliance marked fugitives aboard had brought. Still he kept them and protected them, though he often wasn't sure why. Simon's medical abilities did earn him his keep. There was no doubt that the two were siblings. River had dark hair that nearly reached her waist and dark luminous eyes that changed with her mood. And she had more of those than the rest of the crew combined. Simon's dark hair and eyes, combined with a strong jaw and friendly smile had probably made him quite a catch back on Osiris. It certainly made him appealing to Kaylee, though his way of putting his foot in his mouth every time they talked, hadn't done him any favors.

However, as with everyone else she came in contact with, Kaylee willingly forgave and forgot. Kaylee had brown hair that curled around her face and hazel eyes that sparkled when she smiled or laughed, and it was a rare thing when she was not doing one or both. Her way with machines made her a very important person on the ship and

Mal blessed the day he'd met her.

They were an unlikely bunch, this crew, but Mal wouldn't make a trade for any one of them. He supposed the combined strengths and weaknesses of the ragtag family were quite probably the reason they were still flying.


	4. Chapter 4

**I realised I need to add that I do not own Serenity, nor any of its crew. Thank you Joss for letting me play with them.**

Chapter 4

Mal couldn't sleep. He had cleaned his guns and done a thorough inventory of the ammo supply, all the while feeling that something was amiss. The ship was quiet. Trying to calm his paranoia, he walked through the ship, checking everything. And everything seemed to be fine. Mal sighed and settled himself in the pilot's seat in the bridge. He had just begun to nod off when a light touch on his knee made him nearly jump out of his skin. "Whoaa! Devyn! What are you doing?!"

The girl jumped back at the sound of his voice. "I just needed to talk to you…"

"How'd you know I was in here?" Mal shook his head to orient himself. He had obviously been more weary than he'd thought. "And I thought your door was locked."

"You weren't in your bunk, so…"

Mal gritted his teeth. "You are very lucky we're landing on Persephone tomorrow, else we'd be having a very serious chat about now. Now back to-"

"No, wait!" Devyn protested as he started to stand. "I don't want to go there."

"I'd suggest you find someone who cares. In the morning."

They were distracted by the sound of a beeping comm. Someone was trying to

make contact. Mal frowned and reached behind himself to open of the wave for communication. "Serenity here."

"Serenity this is Inara. We need to leave now!"

"What?! Inara, what is going on?"

"I'll explain later! Just be ready to go." Her line clicked shut.

Disgusted, Mal sat back in his chair. "Of course. Who ever said the captain should know what's going on? Why should we even tell him anything? Just let the crew, no let the gorram passengers run the ship. Anything they want!"

"I want to stay." Devyn broke in suddenly.

"_No_." Mal replied firmly, coming out of his rant, and flipping the overhead comm on. "Wash, get up to the bridge. Zoë, you too. Kaylee, get up and get her running. We got trouble." Mal turned back to the control panel and began prepping for take off. A sleepy looking Wash stumbled into the room.

"Zoë's comin'." he mumbled. "Why are we-"

"Inara's in some kind of trouble. From the sound of it, best be ready to break atmo as soon as she's locked in."

"What's going on?" Zoë appeared in the bridge looking ready for a fight. As she always did.

"I don't know. Let's go meet Inara."

The companion could once again be heard making contact with the ship and with Wash in the pilot's seat, she landed her shuttle and he locked her in.

With Zoë close behind him, Mal pushed his way into Inara's shuttle.

"Mal…" A rather dazed looking Inara stood to greet them. Mal was startled to see her dressed in only her rather revealing silk nightgown.

"You had to leave in a hurry, I take it?" he asked dryly, motioning to her attire.

"Oh…" In frustration, Inara grabbed for a velvety robe lying by the bed. "We're leaving?"

"Yes."

"Thank goodness."

Wash's voice could be heard over the intercom. "Not that I don't like taking the initiative and all, but where are we going? Persephone still?"

"No!" Inara exclaimed. "No, we can't go there."

"Why don't you tell us what's going on?" Mal said firmly. "Right now."

"Hello?" Wash called.

"Let's go up the bridge." Zoë suggested. They moved to follow her back up.

"So where are headed?" Wash asked once they had assembled around him. Kaylee had also joined them. "Persephone?"

"Apparently not." Mal said. "Inara?"

"I've known this client for a long time; he's requested my services several times before. Thus I know him very well. And he's dead."

Jayne stumbled up the stairs in time to hear Inara's last words. "Who'd we kill?"

"Nobody." Kaylee waved at Jayne to be quiet.

"Paul has an identical twin, apparently." Inara continued. "He looks just like him, except for a rather noticeable birthmark on his left thigh. I realized something was terribly wrong and when we were lying there, I asked him to tell me his real name. He said it was Will. When I asked where Paul was, he told me straight out, that he had killed him. He hated Paul, apparently, resented him terribly for some reason. And now he's on some sort of psychotic mission to make everything that was Paul's, his own."

"Including you." Zoë said quietly.

"Including me." Inara confirmed quietly. "He said he'd kill me if I didn't comply. Then he pulled a gun on me and looked up the shuttle's history. He got a few crew facts and our itinerary, before I struck him from behind. I managed to get him off my shuttle and then I flew back here. He'll fear my knowledge of him now. His family has enough influence to put us in quite a bit of jeopardy."

"I'd suspect there to be posted alerts on us all over Persephone then." Wash said. "No use trying Badger. We know how he is."

"I'm terribly sorry." Inara spoke. "I had no idea…"

"Of course, you didn't." Kaylee wrapped her arm around Inara's shoulders. "You weren't the one who murdered his twin and all. No one can blame you."

"Guess so." Mal muttered. He looked up at the clock and it read about 400 hours. "Anyone wants more sleep, they might as well get it. A little less crowded a bridge would be helpful."

"Good." Jayne spoke. "I'll be in my bunk."

"Come on Nara." Kaylee said. They turned to leave and then saw Devyn. "What is Devyn doing up here?"

"That is something I would like to know that as well." Mal broke in, shooting a hard look at Kaylee. She shrugged innocently.

"Can't say I didn't follow orders, captain. Her door was closed tight."

"Are we taking _off?"_ Simon's voice could be heard from down the stairwell. Kaylee's explanation could be heard as she and Inara made their way down the stairs.

Mal turned to Wash. "Out to the black. Nahorri Riswal said to contact him whenever we were free. And we're free."

"For now." Zoë shook her head. "No tellin' what this lunatic will do."

"We can only control us." Mal said. "Wash, plot us a course."

"This does leave us with one problem, still." Wash commented.

"Great, I could use another." Mal said, turning back to his pilot.

"Her. I guess we find another orphanage?" Wash motioned to Devyn, who had fallen asleep on the copilot's chair.

"Ohhh." Mal ran his fingers through his hair distractedly. He muttered something in Chinese. "See what you can find Wash. Send a wave to Riswal."

-------------------------------------------

"She's such a pretty little girl." Kaylee said, gently stroking Devyn's hair.

Inara nodded in agreement. "Any woman would envy those eyelashes. She's not been a bit of trouble either." Inara eyed the sleeping child, who thus far was completely unaware of their presence.

"I know." Kaylee said, mournfully. "I don't know why the captain's so harsh towards her."

"I don't know either." Inara trailed off as she recalled meeting Mal in the hallway, late the night before. She had felt the need for some soothing tea after the ordeal with Will, and had passed Mal on her way back to her room. She recalled the twisting in her stomach at the sight, for she had seen him before he was aware of her presence. He had been carrying Devyn back to her bunk, holding her so gently that the child remained fast asleep, though unaware that she had tightly grasped part of Mal's shirt in her small fist. The captain had been studying Devyn's face, his own expression filled with emotion that was unreadable. Inara couldn't tell if he had been longing for something or simply filled with reminisce. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Inara made an effort to be jovial. "We better wake her up. She's such a deep sleeper."

"I've been thinking we ought to make her some new clothes." Kaylee said. "She could take them with her. And I have a couple pairs of pants we could use for the material."

"That's a good idea, mei-mei." Inara said, feeling her composure return. She wondered at her emotions. "I have some material as well. And I think we ought to let her help make them. Sewing might be a useful skill for her."

Kaylee grinned and sat down next to Devyn. "Rise and shine, little bunny."

--------------------------------------------------------

"Everybody in here?" Mal asked as he quickly glanced around the kitchen and confirmed his own question. "Riswal's got a job for us, and a decent payin' one at that. You all know of Dashney Tobacco?"

"I got some of his cigs in my bunk." Jayne spoke. "Say, is that part of the payment?"

Mal rolled his eyes. "Dashney's plenty well off with his cigs. But he makes a small fortune on the side smuggling out _special_ smokes, if you catch my meaning. The job on top is to deliver a good deal of that for him."

"The job on top?" Kaylee asked, her brow rising.

"Yeah." Mal said. "It's a double job. Riswal works as one of the middlemen. There's another middleman, a fellow named Delmar Warren, who Riswal wants to get rid of. He claims Warren dips into the funds, and aside from that, Riswal just wants his job. So as far as anybody sees we're there as your friendly, neighborhood smugglers, but when the job goes afoul, we make sure the blame rests on Warren."

"But not on us?" Simon asked.

"That's right, doc." Zoë answered. "If everything goes to plan, after we get rid of Warren, we finish the job."

"And get paid for both." Mal said. "Now let's run some details. Wash did you get the visuals?"

"Right here." The pilot quickly laid out several prints of various maps.

"So first thing, I'll take the shuttle and meet up with Warren at a bar in the town. Set up the job and make sure he likes me."

"At a bar? You want me to come with you?" Jayne offered.

"Jayne, he said he wants to make sure he _likes_ him." Wash put in.

Jayne pulled his chin up in insult, but quickly Zoë broke in and said, "Jayne and I will be meeting with Riswal to get the tainted goods that'll need to be switched with what Warren sets us up with."

"I'll get the real stuffs from Warren, then Zoë and Jayne will _rob_ me, _wound _ me, switch the goods and after I bravely fight you two off, I'll land and make contact with the company. They'll want to check the goods to make sure they're all there and will find out it's all been watered down."

"Watered down goods'll give any company a bad name and Warren's responsible for checkin' the quality." Zoë said. "He'll either have to admit negligence or that he's responsible for cheating their customers."

"Throughout all this, we're in the clear, so afterwards, we'll finish the job. And we get paid."

"And that is something to drink to!" Wash held up his glass of water.

----------------------------------------------------

"Set those here, Devyn." Kaylee said, motioning for the girl to set down the boxes she was carrying. "You did a good job. Rust got no place on our girl."

"How do you know it's a girl?" Devyn asked, as she carefully folded up the rags they'd been using.

"Well," Kaylee said thoughtfully. "I guess ships are usually referred to as girls. But I just know about Serenity."

"Serenity's not a boy's name, anyhow." Devyn agreed. "Jayne's guns are girls too. I know cause they got girls' names. Isn't Jayne a girl's name too?"

"Ooh." Kaylee flinched. "I'd suggest you not bring that one up, bunny."

Devyn looked up and sat back on her heels. She played with the rag in her hands for a minute, twisting it tightly. "Why do you call me bunny?"

Kaylee shrugged and then reached over and tickled Devyn's ribs. "Cause you're sweet like one!"

Devyn laughed and rolled away before sitting up. She was startled when River suddenly appeared in front of her. River smiled and knelt down to join them. She wrapped her arms around her knees and tucked her chin into her chest. She watched them for a few minutes without speaking.

"What are you doing today, River?" Kaylee asked.

"Watching the sky." River sighed.

"Well, here." Kaylee handed her a rag and rusty tool. "You can give us a hand here if you'd like."

River studied the tool for a moment and then she began vigorously scrubbing it. "This will hurt the hands." she told them. "Makes them rough."

"Nah, not so much." Kaylee said, smiling.

"And rust got no place on our girl." Devyn said seriously. "I'm a bunny." she told River. "What are you?"

River seemed to consider the question carefully. "There's a girl. And then there's not."

"No, no, I don't mean like that." Devyn corrected. "I'll think on it for you. Kaylee's a singing bird."

"Well, that's nice. I like that." Kaylee responded. With three of them working, they finished quickly. River stood up and took hold of Devyn's hand.

"Come with me?" she asked, looked first at Devyn and then at Kaylee.

Kaylee shrugged. "It's fine with me. I guess learning to reroute engine wires, mopping the kitchen floor and cleaning rust off a few dozen tools should count as a good mornings' work for you. Don't be any trouble now." she warned.

-----------------------------------------------

River pulled Devyn out the door and made her way to the cargo bay. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she let go of Devyn's hand and spread her own arms out to the ceiling. "Come, let's dance." And then, as though she had wings, she moved, touching ever inch of the room, stepping up and then off of boxes, light as a feather, every part of her body in motion. Devyn watched, transfixed for a moment, and then with an air of determination, she lifted her own arms, and tried to copy the spinning, graceful movements of River. River turned and let out a joyous laugh at the sight of the small girl. River caught hold of Devyn's hands and began to lead her around the room, with a high prancing step. "Now spin!" she called out. As though released from some inner bond, the two moved as though carried by the wind, spinning faster and faster. For several minutes they danced wildly and without abandon, then by some unspoken signal, they collapsed side by side in the middle of the room, both panting for breath.

"River?" Simon's voice broke through the magic of the moment.

"Close your eyes." River said quickly to Devyn. "Close your eyes and they won't come. They won't see!"

"Okay." Without questioning, she obeyed.

"River," Simon was beside them. He touched his sister's arm, "Are you all right?"

"Yes." She slowly sat up and looked at him as though she had just awakened from a dream.

"Inara made some tea. The lemon kind you like. She wondered if you'd like some. She's waiting for you."

River nodded. "Tea. It tastes of tears, but not now. Now it tastes of light." She stood and ran swiftly up the stairs.

Simon turned back to Devyn. "I heard River laugh." He swallowed. "I haven't heard her laugh like that in a long time. What were you doing?"

"Dancing." Devyn brushed a tendril of hair out of her face. "She's a butterfly, I think."

"Yes." Simon sighed. "Yes, she is. You're a good girl. I have something for you." He reached into his pocket, and Devyn eagerly got to her knees and placed a hand onto his arm, anxious to see what he had. Smiling, he handed her a small, dusty, netted bag.

Eagerly, Devyn opened it and poured into her hand five tiny carved animals. They were far from being of fine quality, but Devyn's eyes lit up as she touched the miniature elephant, giraffe, lion, bear and crocodile. "For me? To keep?"

"Well, yes." Simon replied. "They're not much, but I found them tucked in the back of one of the drawers in my room a while back…" He trailed off as Devyn grabbed his arm and hugged it tightly against her.

"I will love them." she said firmly and with that she ran to the stairs, and clutching the bag tightly to her chest with one hand and the other clinging to the railing, she moved up them and disappeared.

Devyn wasted no time and ran straight to a place she had discovered while checking light fixtures with Kaylee. Remembering the small lever that allowed her access to the spare shuttle, she gave it a push. After a brief struggle with the door, she entered. A platform to be used as a couch or cot of sorts was folded out as the latch that held it in to the wall when it was not in use, was broken. When unfolded, the platform not only provided a roof for the space underneath, but a small nook in the wall. Devyn had discovered it the day before and for whatever reason found it highly appealing. She now scooted onto her belly and crawled to the very back of the crawl space. Once situated, she carefully reopened the bag of animals and set them out in a line on the floor. The important task of giving them each a name was to be addressed.

---------------------------------------------------

"Well, it seems like a good plan. Really." Wash added, when silence met his words.

"Just a lot of ins and outs to keep track of." Mal muttered.

"And he didn't plan it." Zoë said softly to her husband. "Sir." She immediately straightened up when Mal shot her a glare.

"Nahorri likes things his way. I just aim to please and get paid."

"Which is a fine goal, sir." Zoë said.

"Thank you." Mal squinted at her for a moment before hoisting a crate onto his shoulder and exiting the bridge.

Wash rolled his eyes at his wife. "As long as it works, I don't see the problem."

"There ain't one, at least not of our making." Mal snapped, stepping back into the room, with Jayne directly behind him. "Now does everybody got their part in this straight in their head?"

There was a round of nods, and then Jayne spoke up. "Sure seems like a lot of hassle just to get rid of one middleman."

"I know." Mal said, grimacing.

"Especially when you could just shoot 'em." Jayne shook his head.

"But where would be the fun in having simple, straightforward kind of jobs?" Mal asked. "I'd might be searching for a new line of work." He grinned.

"Right." Zoë said. "Back to the job. And it is a job, a decently paid one at that. I do wish you didn't have to ride your part alone, sir. Makes me a little uneasy."

Mal smiled slightly. "Well, I always shoot a little straighter with you at my back…but that's just cause I don't want to get made fun of later. Let's get on this."


	5. Chapter 5

**I Don't Murder Children**

**Chapter 5**

**By Claire L. Ontiveros**

Devyn jerked at the sharp pain on the side of her face. Blearily, she pushed herself off of her stomach into the crouched position the shelf above forced her to remain in. She rubbed her cheek and frowned down at the upturned giraffe onto whose legs she'd rolled. A sudden jerk of the floor startled Devyn out of her own thoughts and she became aware of the outside environment and the faint vibration of the motor. Devyn crept forward and looked in amazement at Mal who was occupying the pilot's seat. She sank back down to the floor and covered her head as she realized that they were detached from the ship and were flying, and most importantly, that her presence was probably not wanted. Devyn felt a flash of fear at being alone with Mal and out of Kaylee's safe reach. She took a deep breath and choosing the better part of valor, scooted quickly back underneath the folded out couch. She determined to stay there until they got back to the ship and avoid all possible upsets. It was a noble goal and seemed like a good plan at first, but Devyn barely lasted a full minute. The crawl space, which had seemed so sweet and cozy when it was her secret hideaway, now became cramped, dusty and all around uncomfortable, simply because she felt forced into occupying it. So the space was vacated.

Devyn noticed an ancient looking leather glove on the floor next to the fold out cot, and she picked it up. She stood and watched Mal for a minute before tossing it forward, hitting him on the shoulder. She gasped and jumped back flat against the back wall as she came face to face with the business end of Mal's pistol.

"What the…" Mal hastily jammed his gun back into its holster. "What are you…" He shook his head in disbelief. "Get over here. Right now." he snapped, when Devyn didn't move.

"I'm afraid." she said in a small voice.

"For good reason, and I'll give you a better one if you don't get over here right now!"

Like a frightened animal, Devyn skittered towards the front of the shuttle, still trying to keep out of distance of Mal. She underestimated his reach though, because as soon as she was within distance, he grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her to him. Devyn fought him, saying desperately, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I fell asleep on accident."

Mal shook his head at this and lifted her into the other chair. Afraid to move, Devyn sat stiffly in the awkward position in which she'd landed. Mal exhaled loudly and turned his attention back to the board in front of him. There was a long silence, and then Devyn asked, "Where are we going?"

"Wash." Mal's voice broke sternly into the intercom.

"Yeah, Mal?" came the answer.

"Small detail. I have a stowaway."

"Say again?"

"Devyn. So find out who was supposed to be watching her, so we'll know who to blame if she comes back missing fingers." He shot a pointed look at Devyn, whose eyes widened and hands curled into protective fists. "All right, little girl," he said, turning his attention back to his unwanted passenger. "We're landing in a few and I'll be gone for a couple of hours. You're going to stay put in this shuttle, understand?"

"By myself?" Devyn's voice rose in a panicky tone.

Mal shot her a stern look. "Don't even give me that. You lived on the streets. I think you'll survive in here." Mal resolutely turned back to the controls, but when no reaction came, he glanced over at the girl. He was completely unprepared for the twisting in his stomach at the sight of tears tracing down her cheeks. Her lip quivered as she roughly rubbed her fists across her eyes. Unsure of the appropriate response on his part, Mal quickly swallowed and looked away. The shuttle was rapidly approaching a small bluff surrounded by brush. Carefully, he eased the shuttle into place behind a particularly large shrub. Standing, he pulled his coat on and then looked down at Devyn, who hadn't moved. He cleared his throat and she looked up at him, then quickly slid out of the chair to stand.

"I'm a big girl." she said resolutely. "I'll stay by myself."

"Like heck, you will." Mal muttered. "No, you better come with me. But you got to behave and do exactly what I tell you, understand me? This is an important job and we do not want to hinder or…screw it up."

Devyn nodded seriously. "I can help."

"You just do exactly as I say and say nothing yourself, less I tell you to. Come on." Mal quickly made the necessary preparations for leaving the shuttle, and then he opened the door and motioned Devyn out ahead of him. They carefully began to make their way out of the brush. He had chosen the small bluff as a landing spot specifically because of its terrain, but the rocky surface and prickly underbrush did not make for an easy hike. Nearing the bottom, Mal jumped the last six feet of a small interface of rock that stood almost straight up. He then turned and hoisted Devyn to the ground. She was panting and he felt a measure of remorse at the thought that his movements had made small allowance for her shorter stature. "You all right?" he asked.

"Yes, Captain." she said resolutely.

Mal felt himself give her a quirking, half smile. He certainly couldn't fault her spunk and so he reached down and took her hand as he moved onward. The outpost was about a two and a half mile hike, which was farther than Mal would have liked, but there had been no closer landing spot. When they were within shouting distance of the group of sagging buildings, Mal stopped and knelt down to give Devyn a sip of water from his canteen. Looking grateful, she took a long sip, all the while watching him with her wide green eyes. Mal shook his head, recalling previous conversations with Zoë. She really desired a child of her own, but this type of situation was exactly the reason why that wasn't a good idea. Children were just too small and hard to keep track of. They could slip into places and into situations that were then made that much more difficult. "All right, Devyn, that's our building, just up ahead. I don't want you to say anything at all if you can help it. Hopefully there won't be any questions, but we'll just say I'm taking care of you. Clear?"

"Okay."

Devyn kept on his heels as they entered a large gray building with a sign proclaiming it the best hotel and bar in town. The inside crowd was a sharp contrast to the nearly empty streets, and they were quickly greeted with a loud din of voices and a cloud of smoke. Mal made his way to an emptier section of the bar that lined two thirds of the wall. A greasy haired bartender who did not seem to match his red silk vest quickly approached them.

"Well, now sir, what can we get you today? And what's this?" He raised his eyebrows at Devyn, who instinctively moved closer to Mal's knee. The bartender's lower lip curled into a sneer. "This ain't exactly a family establishment, mister. Unless maybe you wanted to offer us a little kiddy entertainment."

Devyn's fingers tightened onto the edge of Mal's coat and he placed his hand protectively upon her head. "She's mine. A man ain't got much of brain to leave his young'un alone in these parts, now does he?" Mal's eyes narrowed into slits as he stared down the man. "Give me your house." As soon as the man was out of hearing range, Mal put his face down to Devyn's ear. "So now you got to play like you're my kid."

"What?" Devyn twisted herself around and looked up at him. "Like you're my daddy?"

"Yeah. Now hush." Mal pushed a few coins across the counter in trade for his drink. Feeling extremely on edge, he kept a tight fistful of the back of Devyn's collar, as he took a sip and eyed the near occupants of the room. It seemed a typical bar, with the countertop lining two of the walls, and several round tables taking up the floor space. On the wall opposite him, was a large fireplace, the mantle crowded with cheap statues. The room seemed crowded to Mal considering the time of day, but after observing the numerous card games being played, he realized some sort of tournament was going on and many of the occupants were onlookers. Except for the working girls, who were making their way through the crowd with pitchers of ale, the majority of the population was male and seemed to be for the most part armed. Tinkling music came from a piano badly in need of a tuner set on a small platform in the corner. With an insight born back in the days of the war, Mal became aware of the gaze of a man in the corner before he actually looked. Feigning interest in the music coming from the corner, he turned and studied the man out of the corner of his eye. The overly waxed, handlebar mustache and green plaid scarf fit the description, and Mal casually stood, draining the last of his drink. Keeping his hold on Devyn's collar he moved nonchalantly towards the man and stopped directly in front of him, while keeping his body facing the piano.

"Malcolm Reynolds?" the man asked.

"That'd be me." Mal finally turned and faced the unsuspecting middleman.

"I'm Delmar Warren. Why don't you take yourself a seat and we can have a little chatting."

"Thank you." Mal gave Warren a smile that did not reach his eyes, as he pulled out a chair and sat, while Devyn stood quietly beside him.

Warren squinted at them. "Generally, when I'm doing business, I make it a point to leave my kids at home with the missus."

Mal smirked. "I'm learnin' her young. Don't pay her any mind." Devyn was rocking back and forth on her feet, but sank quickly to the floor when Mal motioned to her, pointing down next to his boot. He hoped with her somewhat out of sight underneath the table, she would be taken out of mind as well, and they could get back to business.

Warren waved at one of the girls to bring them some ale. "Well Reynolds, this is your lucky day. I guess you probably know that."

Mal flashed him a rather fake smile. "It's always a pleasure to do business with good businessmen, such as yourself."

Warren cast a shrewd gaze at him across the table. "Dashney is the best. Our customers know that. Everybody knows that. So all of our _hires _know that our operations run smooth, smooth as spit on a doorknob."

"That's the way I like it myself." Mal said. "We'll get your job done, Mr. Warren."

The man smiled. "Yes, you will. I'll take you now to show you where you'll pick up the shipment. We'll put you up in our accommodations tonight."

Mal raised his eyebrows. "Well, that's very decent of you."

"At Dashney's we treat our fellows right." Warren nodded in satisfaction. He frowned. "Can't say the same about the service here. How many times have I asked for drinks? The manager will be hearing about this." Irritably, he stood and strode over to counter.

Mal relaxed slightly against the back of his chair and smiled down at Devyn, who stood and leaned against him. "You're doing good." he said quietly, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"Will we be here for a long time?" she asked.

"We won't go back to the ship until tomorrow, little girl." he said, smiling ruefully. "You start a job with me, you carry it through."

"Okay." she sighed.

A loud groan came from one of the card tables near the door and they both glanced towards it. Mal felt his breath catch when the door opened and two vaguely familiar faces walked in. The men set themselves down at the bar and glanced around, appearing to enjoy the stilted silence, their presence had brought about. "Devyn." Mal growled softly.

Startled by his tone, she looked at him. "What?"

"You know how to throw a fit? With screaming and carrying on?"

"Maybe." she said, her eyes confused.

"We may need to make a quick exit. If I…squeeze your arm, you start yelling. I don't know about what, but just do it, hear? This is your part of the job."

"Okay."

At that moment, Warren slid back into his seat, a satisfied smirk on his face and a harried looking young waitress right behind him with sloshing drinks. "Here you are, Reynolds."

"Thanks." Mal took a small sip. The drink burned as it went down. "Who're those two men at the bar, Warren? Seem to have brought a quiet down on the house."

Warren squinted back at the men. "They're here for bounty. Must be searching for somebody. Wish they'd stay out of the bars. Like you said, puts a damper on the place. Then again, since you're curious, maybe we should find out what business they've got here."

"That's all right." Mal said quickly.

"No, really." Warren gave Mal an overly sincere smile. "I got no more business that I care to discuss here, so we might as well enjoy ourselves and catch up on a bit of the news." He winked at Mal, before striding over to the bar and giving the bounty hunters the offer of a few drinks.

Mal stiffened against the back of his chair as the two men joined his table.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Boys, this is Captain Reynolds." Warren made the introductions. "He's just doing a bit of side work for us. Reynolds, this here's Mr. Mingojerry and Fantastic."

Mal felt his last drink rebel in his stomach. As he stood, he discreetly caught hold of Devyn's arm and gave it a quick pinch. Devyn gasped, startled. Mal reached out to shake hands. Fantastic had a startlingly firm grip. A dark colored, heavily grown beard covered most of his face, while Mingojerry was clean-shaven revealing an olive complexion. Mal knew that if not for the beard, they would be identical. Twins.

Fantastic began to speak. "It's good of you to-"

He was cut off by a sudden high-pitched whine from Devyn, who leaned forward, grabbing onto Mal's sleeve. Forcefully, she jerked back and forth on him. "I want to leave!" she cried out. She made a loud, blubbering sound and buried her face against his arm, before crying out, "I want to go! Go, go!"

Warren looked absolutely disgusted, while the bounty hunters seemed to be attempting to hide identical looks of surprise.

Mal caught hold of Devyn's wrist. "Little girl, hush right now!"

Devyn quickly swallowed a sob. "Okay."

Mal grabbed her shoulders and shot her a pointed glare, praying she'd get the message.

Startled anew, she did. Her eyes widened and she threw herself down onto Mal's vacated chair screaming, then slipping out of his attempted grasp, she scrambled onto the table. As one of the mugs of ale fell over with a clatter, she seemed to add renewed vigor to her tantrum.

_She's enjoying this_, Mal realized, inwardly rolling his eyes. He made an attempt to grab at her collar. "Look Warren, I'm sorry." He was forced to project his voice loudly. "She just gets these fits sometimes. I'll beat her good-Devyn, no!" He managed to catch hold of his tantrumming pickpocket, before she, in a burst of theatrical inspiration, threw the remaining full mug of ale at them. He didn't want to lose the job before it started. Wrapping an arm around her, he pinned her arms to her sides, as he hoisted her off the table and held her against him. "I'll meet you later at the hotel?" he asked.

"Sure." Warren exclaimed. "It's the Ross Inn, end of the street! Just tell them I sent you! I'll be around tonight."

"Thanks. Gentlemen." Mal nodded to the rest of the group and then strode towards the door, trying not to wince when one of Devyn's kicks landed a little too close to a dangerous spot. "Watch it." he muttered to her. Once outside, he moved quickly towards the end of the street, where the Ross Inn was unmistakable. A crusty little old man snapped awake behind the front counter.

"Can I help ye?"

They were shown up to a room on the second floor. It was a small room with a large sagging bed set next to a dusty fireplace that had a crackling fire already going. The window gave them a view of half the town and of the dessert plain beyond. Mr. Carbuckle, as he had introduced himself, left them alone. Mal tossed Devyn, who had been silent since entering the hotel, onto the bed, before moving over to the table with the pitcher and basin, to splash some water onto his dusty face. Then he turned back to face Devyn. "Did you enjoy that?" he asked, ruefully.

She eyed him nervously. "Maybe. I never throwed a fit before."

Mal wearily lowered himself into the chair. "Never? All kids do."

"Not me!" Devyn exclaimed. "Who'd I want to throw one to? Uncle Finny would box my ears and I hate that. This one really hurts." she commented, rubbing her left ear. "I did good this time though, right?" she asked. "We got out quick."

"You did good, Devyn." Mal shook his head at her. "Now you're going to bed."

"In the bed?"

"Well, where else do folks sleep?" Mal asked.

"Well, some sleep in beds and some don't." Devyn said, an air of uncertainty in her tone.

"Yeah, guess so." Mal and Devyn sat and stared at each other for a long, awkward moment.

"So, I go to bed now?" Devyn asked, her tone still unsure.

"Yeah." Mal said. He watched as Devyn started to climb underneath the heavy woolen blanket. The soles of her shoes were practically falling off, he noticed. He briefly recalled Kaylee mentioning something about fitting the child with new things. Kaylee had probably been one of the first people to show any sign of caring for the young girl. Mal felt a sudden sense of longing. He had been lucky as a child. Maybe he had an obligation. "Ain't you going to take your shoes off?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah." Devyn quickly sat up and pulled her shoes off, tossing them on the floor. She started to lie back down.

"Is that where they go?"

"What?" Devyn sounded annoyed, as she sat back up.

"Is that where your shoes go?" Slowly Devyn slid out of bed and picked up her shoes and neatly laid them by the basin stand at the end of the bed. She looked over to Mal for approval. He nodded, then asked "Don't you think you should wash your face?"

"Okay." Devyn splashed some water onto her face, then looked up at Mal. He raised an eyebrow at her still dirty face.

"Well," Devyn said, exasperated. "Why don't you just put me to bed then, since you know how to do this?"

"Well, I don't…" Mal stumbled, as Devyn stared at him with a crease in her forehead. "Well, come here then." He stood and picked up a cloth, wet it and helped her scrub her face free of dirt. Carefully he undid the two buttons of her raggedy blue jacket, deciding she'd be comfortable enough in the gray shirt and pants. Half-heartedly, he tugged his fingers through her tangled hair, then moved back to his chair. "Now, you get to bed."

Devyn started to scramble onto the high bed, but stopped. "You could tell me a story." she suggested, hopefully.

"Oh, I could?"

"Yes. Maybe? Kaylee says kids should get a story before they sleep, so's they have good dreams."

Mal stuck a poker into the ashes to stir them. "Well, I reckon Kaylee's right."

"Good." Happily, Devyn dragged a footstool over to Mal's feet and set herself down onto it. "I know what I want to hear. Why'd we have to leave quick today?"

"Hmm. Those two bounty hunters, Fantastic and Mingojerry, well, we met up briefly with them a while back. During a job. They nearly ruined it, to be honest. And if they recognize me now, there could be questions and our job could get real complicated. You probably won't understand this, but it's not so much upholding the law they're concerned with, it'd be getting me to pay them to keep quiet, so's to keep the job, and I can't afford to chance that."

"That's mean." Devyn said, emphatically. "They sure got funny names. I never knew there were so many silly names in the verse. Even Jayne's guns got names."

"I've never heard the name Devyn used for a girl." Mal said.

Devyn seemed taken aback. "Well…do you still like it?"

"Course, I like it." Mal said. "Now you're going to bed. I got to go meet with Warren." He stood and lifted Devyn onto the bed. "Don't you leave this spot, hear?"

"Okay. But what if you need me?"

"I'll manage. I won't be gone long, all right? Night, little girl." He pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Be good."

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Authors Note: I apologise for the long wait and for the shortness of this chapter. However, more chapters will be quickly forthcoming. Thanks to all my wonderful readers. I greatly appreciate your reviews. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

By Claire L. Ontiveros

"That's the last of it, boss." The loader stopped next to Mal and scraped his fingers across his sweaty forehead. Mal nodded in satisfaction and then glanced towards Warren who looked as though he might have stayed out a bit too late the night before.

"I'm just waiting for a bit of paperwork, then you're cleared for takeoff." The man stated blearily. "Should have been here by now." Frowning, he looked down at his watch.

"No worries." Mal said, lightly. They stood in silence for a moment. Mal's spine stiffened when a pair of familiar faces appeared on the loading dock. Warren seemed to come out of his stupor and looked pleased to see them.

"Morning gents." he said amiably. "Hope your nights were well spent."

"Oh, they were most satisfactory." Fanty smirked.

Mal found himself reminded of a feline. The cat's eyes turned suddenly towards Mal.

"Where's your kiddie?"

Mal forced the tension out of his shoulders and jerked his head towards the ground next to the loading dock. Devyn's small head could be seen bobbing along the ground.

"What's she doing down there?" Mingo asked nosily.

"Looking for caterpillars." Mal spoke with a deadpan expression. "I don't feed her too often."

With an air of annoyed indulgence, Mingo asked, "You're raising her alone, I understand?"

Mal cocked his head, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with their odd interest in Devyn. If he'd felt they were simply attempting to throw up a smoke screen, he wouldn't have cared, but the poorly concealed genuine interest in their feline eyes put him on edge.

"What? You knocking her manners?"

"Who was her mother?!"

The sudden sharp tone of Fanty caused all of Mal's hackles to rise. "You're actin' a little tense for my taste, friend." Mal said, tersely.

"And it's too early in the morning for that!" Warren broke in, his voice full of false cheer. "Reynolds, you must get around in the world a bit. Pretty interesting! What's the last planet you worked on?"

Knowing the man was simply trying to dissipate the tension and avoid a brawl on his docks, Mal said through gritted teeth, "Telso."

The response of the bounty hunters was more than enough to cause Mal immediate regret for sharing the information. The smug looks painted across their faces seemed to be directly correlated to the tightening of Mal's fists. Looking increasingly anxious to evade the coming storm, Warren grasped hold of Mal's shoulder.

"Drew's coming! He's got the paperwork. Just need your sig, then you can take my cigs." He let out an uproarious laugh at his own joke and gave an encouraging push to Mal's shoulder. Shrugging him off, Mal nervously adjusted his coat and sending a hard look towards Mingo and Fanty, followed Warren.

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Devyn gently stroked her index finger along the wooly caterpillar's back. "Go on, little guy," she crooned. "Stay away from the docks now." Devyn sat back on her heels and watched the tiny creature wiggle away. She had been concerned to find it on the loading dock and in hopes of ensuring its safety, had climbed down onto the hard packed dirt ground below, and picked one of the few grassy patches to place her new charge. Feeling it was time to cut the apron strings, Devyn blew the bug one last kiss and then moved to scramble back up onto the dock. Looking around, Devyn felt a touch of concern when she did not see Mal. Unsure what to do, she moved towards the safety of the shuttle.

"There you are."

Devyn bit her lip nervously as she looked up at Fanty and Mingo, who had stepped in on either side of her. Feeling trapped, Devyn started to move away, but Fanty dropped to one knee and caught hold of her arm. "Now you just stay here." he said.

"I got to go with my captain…daddy." Devyn stumbled over her words.

Fanty raised an eyebrow and looked up at Mingo, then back at Devyn. "How old are you, kiddy?"

She squirmed under his hold. "I'm eight."

"Are you now? That is something." Fanty said.

"Who's your mama?" Mingojerry asked.

Devyn froze and looked nervously around for Mal, but he seemed to have disappeared. "She died. I think."

"Yes. She did." Fanty said, a chill in his voice. "I knew your mother Devyn."

Devyn started and stared at him.

"And I've something to show you." He reached into his pocket.

"Devyn, you set yourself inside the shuttle right now." Mal did not look at her but only stared pointedly at Fanty, until he stood.

"Kay." Clearly relieved to see him, Devyn wasted no time in pushing Fanty's hand off of her shoulder and jerking away from the men. She shot a quick glance at Mal, then backed inside the shuttle.

Mal stared at the two men until a slight shift in their feet told him they were uncomfortable. "And I'd like to know right now, exactly what your business is with me and mine."

They twins glanced at each other and seeming to gain courage, Mingo spoke. "That girl's not yours."

"And I don't see that as being your concern. Maybe I keep her around cause she's handy with a gun."

"You're certainly set on being defensive, Captain Reynolds." Mingo said.

"And I am about this close to marrin' your pretty face. Course with Fanty, it'd be an improvement. Don't you put a hand on her again."

"She's mine." Fanty said suddenly.

Mal started mumbling a curse.

"She is." Fanty said quickly. "I recognize her. I was with her mother. I have a picture." He fumbled in his pockets for a moment, but then turned to Mal and with uncharacteristic clarity, said, "I want her back. She's mine by rights. When I came back to Telso, they told me she died in childbirth. The dates matched. They never told me the kid lived."

Mal nodded and pursed his lips. "That's a real touchin' story, Fanty. Guess you learned a lesson about leaving your whores alone too long. Now if you boys'll excuse me, I've got business to see to." He pushed between them and stepped inside the shuttle. Ignoring their angry hemming and hawing from the dock, he secured the door. Believing that the best course of action was to put as much distance s possible between the loading dock and the shuttle, Mal quickly sat down and began prepping for take off. He exhaled loudly as the shuttle lifted off. Relaxing slightly against the back of the seat, Mal gritted his teeth and looked over at Devyn.

"What've you got?" he asked. Devyn was sitting in the copilot's chair, her gaze intently focused on a scrap of a picture grasped tightly in her fingers. "Young'un, I'm _talking_ to you."

"Just a picture." Devyn slid off her seat and moved to stand next to Mal. "She looks like me if I grow up. Maybe?" She held the picture up for Mal to see and reluctantly relinquished it when he took hold of it.

Mal blinked as he stared at the ragged picture. The face of a young woman smiled up at him. She appeared to be about 20, but the similarities between her features and Devyn were unmistakable. Sharply, he looked at Devyn. "Where'd you get this?"

She shrugged. "Fantastic."

"He gave it to you?"

"No. He was going to show it to me, but then he put it back in his pocket. I just got it."

Mal cursed under his breath and handed the picture back to Devyn.

"Who is it?" she asked.

Mal shook his head. "What'd he say to you?"

"I don't know. Just how old I am, and that he knows my mama." Devyn's lip trembled. "I didn't know I had one."

Mal sighed. "Everybody's got a ma, Devyn. Seems our friend Fanty knew yours."

"Wh…where is she now?"

Mal gave her a long look. "I don't know."

Devyn's shoulders slumped and she sat back down. "Probably dead. Don't you figure?"

Mal swallowed the lump in his throat. "I figure so." He turned his attention back to the open ground skimming by. They sat in silence for a long while, neither interested in talking.

"Where're we going now?" Devyn asked finally.

"We're meetin' up with Zoë and Jayne to switch the goods. Make Warren think they tried to rob us, so's when we land, they'll check the stuffs and find out it ain't all up to par."

"Then he'll be in trouble." Devyn smiled and sighed as she leaned back comfortably in her chair. "Do frogs dream?"

Mal was caught off guard, but said, "I'm sure Badger dreams, yes."

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"Right on time." Jayne grunted. "If I had to sit one more minute on this rock, I'd shoot something."

Zoë didn't look away from her binoculars. "And that's different from normal how, Jayne?" She turned her gaze onto Mal's shuttle, which he was carefully landing several yards away. The shuttle door opened and Mal stepped out, with Devyn on his heels. The girl was silent as they stepped close.

"Zoë. Jayne." Mal greeted.

"Captain." Zoë returned. "Everything according to plan?"

"Everything's shiny." Mal said quickly. "Jayne, we're ready to be robbed."

"I been ready all day." The two quickly moved towards Mal's shuttle preparing to make the switch. Zoë pulled a satchel out of the mule and motioned to Devyn.

"Come with me, Devyn."

Devyn followed Zoë to the side of the shuttle and watched as she began rummaging though the bag. "Are you all right?"

Looking surprised by the question, Devyn nodded. "Yes. I'm…shiny." She looked pleased with herself. "Are you going to beat the cap'n up, so's it looks like we got robbed?"

Zoë smirked. "We'll see. First we're going to beat up your shuttle." Carefully she set up what looked like a small explosive device and motioning for Devyn to pick up the bag, she unrolled a cord. Mal approached her.

"Everything's unloaded. Devyn, go get on the mule."

Unsure of what was going on, Devyn ran back to the mule and scrambled aboard, quickly turning around to watch. Mal, Jayne and Zoë were gathered around the cord. Jayne finally bent and lit the end of the cord, and then the three quickly turned and backed away, until they were also next to the mule. The spark traveled along the rope and Devyn clapped her hands over her ears as a small explosion burst directly next to the shuttle. She watched Jayne run back towards the flames, a cloth in hand. He made short work of the flames, stamping them out with his feet and beating any stubborn sparks with the cloth. Smiling, he finally turned and headed back towards the group.

"I like fire." he said, smiling in satisfaction.

"Course you do." Mal grimaced. "This is gonna hurt." The sun glinted against the blade of his drawn knife as he hooked it into the front of his shirt and ripped it down the side.

"Want me to punch you now?" Jayne offered generously.

"Other way around, Jayne." Mal answered. "I'm doin' the punchin' here."

"How's that?"

"Cause we need your blood on my clothes. Not mine."

Devyn snickered softly. Mal glanced down at her. "Young'un, you need to rough up a bit too."

Her eyes widened. "Nobody's punching me." she said firmly, then with an air of reluctance, added, "I can skin my knee for you though. If you want."

"That's all right, Devyn." Zoë broke in. "We'll say you hid in the back of the shuttle."

"Aw, where's the fun in that?" Jayne asked sarcastically.

"Enough." Mal said. "Devyn, let's load her up." Quickly, he tossed some dust onto his body and slapped Devyn lightly across the back of the head to propel her towards the shuttle.

"Wait." Devyn paused. "Zoë, can I take your gun?" She looked expectantly up at Zoë, who raised her eyebrows.

"What for?"

"So's I can say I took it from the robber and look brave."

Zoë's mouth quirked and she glanced at Mal.

"No." Mal rolled his eyes. "That'd be unrealistic, cause you'd never get it off her. You'd probably get it off Jayne though." Mal smirked at Jayne whose mouth had fallen open and who looked completely insulted. He turned to Devyn.

"You just keep your itchy fingers outa my pockets or I'll cut em' off."

Mal spoke again. "Devyn, inside. Zoë, if I could have a moment." Jayne compliantly stepped back towards the mule and Devyn moved inside the shuttle, leaving Mal and Zoë alone.

"There an issue, captain?"

"Mildly. We rubbed shoulders with Fanty and Mingo in town. You remember them?"

"Of course. They going to be a problem?"

"I don't know. It's just…I think Devyn may belong to one of em'."

"Sir?" Zoë's eyes widened incredulously.

"No, no, I'm not going crazy here. Made me suspicious when they were little too interested in her for my liking. Wanted to know who her mother was and were very interested to know we'd been to Telso as of late. I just don't like it."

Zoë shook her head. "Sir, I'm not quite following your mind here."

"On the dock, Fanty came right and said he thought she was his. And Devyn filched a picture from him of a woman who looks just like her. Now how's that add up?"

"It doesn't really, sir. I might ask if you've been reading Kaylee's fairy tales?"

"No." Mal said defensively.


End file.
